Ellsworth halfway to $1.2 million fundraising goal for new city park

The most recent design sketches for Ellsworth's Knowlton Park are on display in City Hall. This drawing from Archipelago Landscape Architects shows a waterpark feature at right, next to a restroom facility. At top, a small fountain marks the entrance to the park, near a scaled-down gazebo

Courtesy City of Ellsworth | BDN

Courtesy City of Ellsworth | BDN

This design sketch shows the improved entrance to a proposed renovation of Knowlton Community Park in Ellsworth.

Courtesy City of Ellsworth | BDN

Courtesy City of Ellsworth | BDN

The new Knowlton community Park will feature a central pavilion and fountain by Lunaform, a Sullivan ceramics company.

Courtesy City of Ellsworth | BDN

Courtesy City of Ellsworth | BDN

This design sketch shows many of the new features planned for Knowlton Community Park in Ellsworth.

Courtesy City of Ellsworth | BDN

Courtesy City of Ellsworth | BDN

Plans for a new Knowlton Community Park in Ellsworth include a water-pad play area where children can get wet and cool off on hot summer days.

ELLSWORTH, Maine — The fundraising effort to build a new city park in Ellsworth has kicked into high gear, and organizers say they’ve reached the halfway point in a sprint to raise $1.2 million.

The milestone was reached Sunday, when the Knowlton Community Park Campaign announced that The First Bankcorp had given a $50,000 challenge grant. Including the $220,000 or so already committed by the city, the total funds raised for the project has crossed $600,000.

The announcement was made at a kick-off event, marking the beginning of the public fundraising campaign. In recent months, the committee has focused on high-profile business and philanthropic donors. Now, Ellsworth residents will receive solicitations in their mailboxes in coming weeks, and the fundraising group will double down on its efforts with the general public.

Fundraisers still need to net more than a half-million dollars before work on the park can begin. The committee is offering naming rights for key features planned for the park: For $100,000, a donor could have the park’s central fountain named in his or her honor. $50,000 will secure naming rights for the children’s water park, the pavilion or the amphitheater. A less-expensive option also is available for individuals and businesses, who can have their names inscribed on granite tiles ($1,000) or bricks ($300).